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Paper short abstract

This paper examines how digitalisation and platformization are reshaping women’s work in India. It shows how digital labour in feminized sectors reproduces intersectional inequalities shaped by societal norms, caste, community, religion, language, and institutional arrangements.

Paper long abstract

Domestic work burden, care-giving responsibilities, and prevailing gendered social norms are common bottlenecks to female labour force participation in India. Increasing digitization and the booming platform economy are reshaping opportunities in the feminised care sector, raising questions about whether digital transformation enables skill upgrading, aspiration formation, and economic inclusion. Using primary survey data on 56 workers, this study compares working conditions of effects of digitization on 28 Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) in rural sectors and 28 platform-based domestic workers in urban centres.

The paper shows that digitisation does not uniformly expand opportunities for women but interacts with existing social structures to reproduce inequality. Platform-based domestic work attracts relatively more educated women and is often associated with aspirations of flexibility and income mobility. In contrast, ASHAs operate within a state-led digitalised system that relies on task-based incentives, digital monitoring, and performance targets, while continuing to classify workers as “volunteers.” Despite accumulating significant experiential and digital skills, ASHAs face limited pathways for skill recognition, career progression, or formal employment.

Across both sectors, gendered norms, caste and regional hierarchies, and institutional arrangements shape aspirations and adaptation to digital work. Rather than facilitating reskilling or upward mobility, digitisation often intensifies work without addressing structural barriers to decent employment. The findings highlight how unequal access to skills recognition, labour protections, and social security constrains women’s ability to benefit from technological change.

The paper underscores the need for labour regulation, public policy, and platform accountability to ensure that digital transformation supports inclusive and equitable employment.